The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 40, September 18, 2005, Article 20

OF LEDES AND QUOINS

Michael Marotta writes: "In E-Sylum, Volume 8, Number 39,
September 11, 2005, Wayne Homren edited what he thought
was a typo. I purposely put it in there because I am old printer's
devil from the days of movable type, California job cases, and
composition sticks. The word I used was "lede." It was in this:
"...the reply does not need to run 2000 words, opening with a
lede paragraph to draw the reader's attention ..." Wayne
changed "lede" to "lead."

Back in 1964, I was in the 9th grade, taking both journalism
and printing in high school. I learned to spell the first paragraph
of a story "lede" lest the typesetter see the word "lead" (rhymes
with "dead") and insert one-third of a slug, a thin space between
two lines of type.

Type is held in the chase with furniture. The furniture is tightened
with quoins -- not coins. See, for instance: Full Story

It is interesting that both "quoin" and "coin" have the same root,
closer in meaning even than "weak" and "week" in English or
"schon" and "schoen" in German.

I recently attended a book fair in Ann Arbor at which two
different movable type printers were set up. Also in booths
to meet the public were companies that teach bookbinding,
as well as the University of Michigan Libraries, demonstrating
their own skills at bindery. If you love old books, you owe
it to yourself to find out how they were made. We have a
company here in Ann Arbor what will teach you make your
own book by binding signatures. These crafters can be found
all over. Seek them out. Imagine publishing your own 19th
century book about 19th coins.

I will have more to say about the virtues of letterpress soon,
when Traverse City's community currency, "Bay Bucks" is
officially announced. "

[Sorry for the "correction". I should have checked with
Mike, but at least we got another interesting story out of
it. -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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